Batgirl of the Future: Remember
by Watership's Nightwish Rat
Summary: Almost two months after her nearly fatal encounter with Inque, Coba Brooklyn still struggles with memory loss, leading her into a deep state of depression. As she fights to cope with it, she finds an unlikely confidant in Mary McGinnis... One-shot.


**Recommended order of reading:**

**1. Rebirth**

**2. Running Out of Inque**

**3. Remember**

**4. Eyewitness of the Past**

**5. Last Resort**

**6. The Call**

**Please read, review, and enjoy...**

* * *

Coba Brooklyn sat at the dinner table with Terry, Mary, and Matt McGinnis. It had been seven weeks since she had broken her left foot, an injury that caused her to sometimes have to be somewhere else other than Wayne Manor, which was too large for her to get around in comfortably. Mary McGinnis had been gracious enough to let Coba stay a few nights during this time, including on this night, despite seeming to be a bit unwelcoming that first time. During each visit, Coba could not help but notice Mary's behavior towards her soften. Why the woman was not extremely welcoming to her at first, she was not certain. Nonetheless, here she was, having dinner with the trio and listening to Matt's excited—not to mention seemingly relentless—chatter.

"They have this board, and they used it to call out to the ghosts and they came back—just to talk to them! Schway, huh?"

"Yes, dear," Mary said, clearly not enthusiastic with the topic. "Very 'schway.'"

Matt got a spark in his eye. "Hey! Maybe we can hold a seance here, at home!"

Terry smiled at Matt, despite not being interested in the subject but trying to be enthusiastic for his little brother. "What for, squirt?" he asked.

The boy smiled even bigger and glanced around the table. "To bring Dad's ghost back!"

The other three people stopped eating abruptly, sorrow and surprise suddenly etched on their faces. "Matt, honey... there are no such things as ghosts," Mary said sadly.

Matt's enthusiasm faltered, although he was still just a little optimistic. "But the board—"

"It's a fake," Mary cut him off solemnly.

Her youngest son's face fell as he looked down sadly. Mary continued a bit more gently, though still sad, after a brief moment of silence. "Dad is gone, honey. He's not coming back, even as a ghost."

"But I need to see him again... I _need_ to. I'm forgetting what he was like."

Coba stared blankly at her dinner, which was only halfway finished, unsure of how to react. Terry and his mother exchanged glances of sorrow and uncertainty, then they both looked back at Matt before lowering their heads as well. There was nothing but silence in the air for several moments.

It was Coba who spoke up. "May I be excused?" she requested in a sad, quiet voice.

Before Mary could respond, Terry answered her. "Yes, you may."

"Thank you." Brooklyn stood up, pushed in her chair and hopped, with the aid of her crutches, out of the dining room and into the guest bedroom she was staying in. She quietly shut the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," Matt said apologetically, his tone heavy with grief and regret, still looking down. "I didn't mean to make her upset."

"We know, Matt," Terry gently told him, "and she does, too. But it wasn't your fault."

"Do you think Coba thinks it wasn't?" Matt asked as he looked up at his brother, concerned.

"I doubt she blames you at all," Terry replied solemnly.

Mary looked at her youngest son. "Matt, honey, you may be excused as well," she said gently.

Matt lowered his head again sadly. "'Kay." He stood up and left the dining room. Mary and Terry heard the door to the young boy's room open then shut loudly.

The woman looked at Terry quizzically. "What, exactly, do you mean when you say that you don't think she blames Matt?" she asked curiously in a quiet voice.

"She's been blaming herself for everything that goes wrong lately, Mom," came the solemn response. "She won't blame anyone else, no matter if it's they're fault or not." The young Batman heaved a heavy sigh. "I've tried everything I can to help her feel better, but nothing's worked so far."

"I know it's hard, honey," Mary said sympathetically. "I saw my own mother go through the same things."

Terry looked down solemnly. "I know, Mom." There was a ringing sound, causing Terry to jolt a little. He picked up his phone and looked at the caller I. D. "It's Mr. Wayne, I gotta go," he told his mother. "Can you let me know how Coba's doing in a little bit?"

Mary nodded. "Sure, Ter."

"Thanks, Mom." Terry gave Mary a quick hug before grabbing his backpack and leaving the house, thus leaving his mother alone with her own thoughts.

_I can't believe he asked me, of all people, to keep an eye on Coba_, Mary thought, a bit amused and baffled. _He knows how uncomfortable I am about her. Then again, he wouldn't ask Matt to do it, or me to if he felt I couldn't do it. I may not be the best person for the job, but for now I'll have to do._

~!~

Coba sat on the bed in the guest bedroom. She reached into her bag and pulled out a picture that was guarded by a simple frame with a glass cover. The girl touched the glass as if trying to feel the picture inside, which depicted her and Terry standing happily next to a red-haired man wearing a brown business suit and glasses. Her cobalt and red eyes teared up sorrowfully as she murmured the man's name: "Warren McGinnis: Dad." The tears fell freely from her eyes, landing on the glass. "I'm sorry, Dad," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry that I've forgotten you."

She heard a gentle knock on the door. "Who is it?" her voice choked out.

"It's Ms. McGinnis, Coba," came the calm response. "May I come in?"

Wordlessly, Brooklyn leaned over and cracked the door open. Mary pushed it open, stepped inside, then closed it behind her. She sat down sympathetically next to the girl she had used to loathe. "Are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

Coba just sat there silently for several seconds, then shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know if I am fine, any more," she admitted glumly.

"Care to talk about it?" Mary asked gently. "You can tell me what's bothering you," she calmly coaxed after Coba was silent for a few moments. "I won't judge you for it. I'm only trying to help."

"I know," Coba replied a bit shakily. "It's just—" she stopped uncertainly for a second. _Why is it so hard for me to talk to her?_ she wondered. She let out a small, troubled sigh. "I don't know how else to say this, but... the only thing I can remember about Dad is what he looks like."

Mary looked at her questioningly. "You mean... you don't remember anything else about him?"

More tears began to form in Coba's eyes as she nodded. "I'm afraid so." She looked away shamefully. "I don't even remember what he was like."

"Do you have any idea why that might be?" Mary asked concernedly.

Coba looked into Ms. McGinnis's eyes solemnly. "You know how I was knocked out at the time I broke my foot trying to save Terry from Inque?" she asked.

The woman's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You were knocked out?"

"Yes," Coba answered, her voice choking once more. "When I woke up, I could not recall anything about my past until I heard Terry speak. But what I remembered when he spoke wasn't much: it was only of the events leading to when I lost my memory."

The girl knew better than to tell Mary exactly what had happened. The woman would lose her mind if she knew her oldest son was Batman, let alone the fact that he was almost killed for being the Dark Knight. Coba also knew that it would not help matters any if she told Mary that she was Batgirl, nor if she explained that she was kidnapped by Inque to lure both Batmen and kill them.

"I'm sorry that happened," Mary said apologetically. "I had no idea about your memory."

"It's not your fault it happened," Brooklyn said quietly. "It's mine. I put myself in that situation by choice."

"The way I see it, it wasn't your fault either. Inque chose to try to attack Terry—"

"—and_ I_ chose to intervene," Coba cut in. "Either way, I'm still responsible for it, whether it's fully or partially."

Both of them were silent for a moment. "There is something that I vaguely remember from before then, though," Coba said a little quietly. "A conversation from a couple years ago between you and Dad."

Dread and guilt filled Mary's heart, for she knew which conversation Coba was talking about—the only conversation between Mary and Warren that the girl had been present during. Nonetheless, the woman tried to conceal her feelings from Coba. "What might that have been about, do you know?"

"I remember it was in Commissioner Gordon's office," Coba replied sagely. "I don't recall the exact words I overheard, but I know it had to do with me being the unexpected result of an affair Dad had, and that you wanted nothing to do with me." She looked at Mary questioningly. "Is that why you were hesitant to accept me in the first place? Because you hated Dad after that? Because—" Coba stopped, looking at the floor abruptly. "Because I was not meant to be born?" she finished in a quiet voice.

Mary did not know what to say for a few agonizing moments. All she could feel during that time was guilt and frustration towards herself for causing the girl so much pain and confusion. "No," she replied at last, "I loved your father, even after I found out about you. I didn't like you at first partially because you were the result of an affair, but I realized recently that it was more because I was afraid to accept you into my life, because you're so different from me and my sons. To block out my insecurities, I tried to pretend that you didn't exist, which I now realize is the worst thing anyone can do to a person."

Batgirl looked up at the woman once more, confused, as Mary continued. "My first thought was, in fact, that you should not have been born," she admitted, "I can't deny that. But after getting to know you a little bit and hearing about everything you've done for people, I discovered that, maybe, you were put here to make people like me realize the errors of our ways. That you were born to prove that just one person can make a difference." She paused. "I guess, in that sense, I envy you."

"What do you mean?" Coba asked, surprised. "Why envy a crippled girl like me?"

Ms. McGinnis grinned a little. "You're much braver than I am. You and Terry defended Bruce Wayne against a gang of Jokerz, when I would have looked the other way. You put your life on the line to save Terry from Inque, and to help Batman fight that huntsman that kidnapped you and Matt last week, when I would have been too frantic to do anything. What I mean is this: if not for you, my sons probably would not be here now—or Mr. Wayne, for that matter." Her grin started to fade. "I thank you for saving my sons, and... I am so very sorry for all the pain I have inflicted on you."

Coba remained silent for a moment to let it all sink in before placing a reassuring hand on Mary's shoulder and looking her in the eyes. "Thank you for the apology," she said quietly. "I gladly accept it." She paused, then added, "And although you don't think you're very brave, I can tell it took you a lot of courage for you to tell me all of that."

Mary felt her own eyes tear up at Coba's words. "That sounds a lot like something your father would have said. Now that I mention it, you are a lot like him in general."

"What do you mean by that? How am I like him?"

"You're compassionate towards others, smart, insightful, and you have a strong moral compass, just like him," the woman replied.

It only took a moment for Brooklyn to think over what Mary said before memories from long ago began to flood into her conscience. She could suddenly recall a time when she helped Warren save a man's life, and a time he had placed himself in front of her and Terry when a gang charged at them on their way back from school.

"I remember now," she said quietly after a few minutes, looking into Mary's eyes once more as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Without a second thought about it, Mary pulled Coba into a warm embrace as if she were her own child as the girl began to sob. The woman tried to fight back her own tears, but, one by one, they fell anyway.

After a few minutes of sitting like that in silence, Coba looked up at Mary once more. "Thank you, Ms. McGinnis," she choked, gently pulling herself out of the hug. "If-if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone now and try to sleep."

"Of course, Coba," Mary replied. "I'll be outside if you need me at all." She stood up from the bed, and just as she was about to open the door she stopped. She smiled warmly at Coba. "And by the way," she added, "you may call me Mary." She opened the door, stepped out, and gently shut it behind her.

Coba settled down into the bed, laying her head down on the soft, yet supportive, pillow as she did so. _This has turned out to be quite an interesting evening_, she thought. _Not only did I just remember more about Dad, I also opened up to Mary—and she opened up to me as well. I sense that she's still uncomfortable about accepting me into her life, but it's a start._

Brooklyn held up the picture to look at it once more. "Thank you, Dad, for everything," she said quietly. "I wouldn't be who I am today if not for your guidance. I love you." She marvelled the picture for another moment, then gently placed it back into her bag. Coba turned off the dim light before pulling the bed covers over herself, allowing her newly recovered memories to fill her mind and lull her to sleep.

~!~

Terry, Coba and Matt sat in the living room the next night, sifting through several photographs they sprawled on the floor. Terry sat with his back against the coffee table as he looked at each one. Coba copied him, but had her left foot propped up on a pillow to ensure that it did not get jarred up on the hard floor. Matt sat with his legs overlapping each other. He leaned forward and picked up a photograph. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I remember this trip!"

Coba and Terry leaned towards Matt to get a glimpse at the picture—which was of Matt sitting gleefully on a smiling Warren's shoulders with the two teens standing on either side of the adult, grinning as well. Terry recalled that Mary had chosen to remain at home while the foursome went on the trip, and that it was Coba who figured out how to set the timer on the camera. "It was great!" Matt went on to say. "Remember, Coba? Terry fell in that hornet's nest!" he finished, handing the picture to Coba.

At first Terry was worried about his half-sister's reaction, but relaxed when he saw her slowly smile as she recalled the incident. "Ha ha, yeah," she replied. "That was kinda funny: he was dancing all over the place for a few days when he tried to sit down!" She and Matt both burst into a fit of giggles.

"I remember it, too," Terry said with a rye smile. "But not as fondly as you," he added, rubbing his left thigh where the stings had been inflicted just a year ago.

"Well, Dad _did_ warn you to watch where you were going," Coba pointed out, recovered from her giggling fit.

"Yeah," Matt sided with Coba, "he knew about that kind of stuff."

Terry could not help but grin with relief at the knowledge that his half-siblings still recalled their late parent. "See? You _do_ remember. And he'll never be gone as long as you keep him alive in here—" he rubbed Matt's head— "and in here," he finished, patting Matt on the left side of his chest.

Matt and Coba looked up at Terry fondly. "Thanks, bro," the girl said for both of them.

The teen returned the grin, then pulled Matt a little closer to him. "Or is it _here_?" he asked roguishly, poking Matt in the chest and causing the boy to burst into a fit of laughter. "Or here? Or here? Or here? Or here? Oh, _there_ he is!" Terry exclaimed as he reached the boy's most ticklish spot, Matt's laughter at maximum loudness. "I got him!"

Coba had scooted away from the two boys to make sure they did not accidentally bump into her and jar her broken foot, but could not help but join in the laughter. She was the only one who noticed Mary smiling at Terry and Matt, and grinned fondly at Coba when she looked her way. Brooklyn returned the grin. _Things are going to be different_, she thought, knowing it was not the first time she made the exact same observation.

* * *

**Inspiration for this came on the first weekend of September while watching either a cooking show or an exploration show with my parents (how either of those show genres could inspire me to write a short story having to do with _Batman Beyond_, I don't know: but stranger things have happened!) when I got the song "Remember" by Disturbed stuck in my head. I guess my mind juggled it around a bit, and then I got the idea of writing a songfic concerning Coba struggling to remember Warren—with Mary helping her to do so. I know this kind of contradicts Coba's statement in "The Call" about Mary not accepting her in the near future, but that is why I added her secret observation that Mary had not accepted her yet, but that it was something of a start. It used to be a songfic, but I decided to change it to a short story to not break any rules.**

**As for Coba having traits similar to Warren although his DNA was overridden by Bruce Wayne's, I think it is possible. For one thing, we know Bruce was not a troublemaker in his youth like Terry was, but what about Warren? For all anyone knows, he could've been troublesome in his youth (though he would be reformed) and that trait could've passed on to Terry. Of course, the traits Coba is said to have are also ones that Bruce has, although Mary stated that Warren had them as well. The examples of him showing these traits took place many years after being injected with Bruce's DNA, which could also mean that he got these traits himself. Well, those are just my theories on the matter, not exactly facts.**

**I decided to work with the episode "Revenant" because it included Matt reminiscing about Warren, which I thought would work the most perfectly for this, and because the scene in which Terry was sitting with Matt, talking about Warren, helped me feel better whenever I thought of my grandfather, who passed away ten years ago today (September 30, 2003), and of how much I really _do_ remember of him. I dedicate my work on this fic to him.**


End file.
